High school notebook: Noble boys hoop on the right track

NORTH BERWICK, Maine — The Noble High School boys basketball team isn't exactly tearing up Western Maine Class A, and the Knights know it.

What they do know, however, is that the program is undoubtedly turning around and could very well make the playoffs, which they believe would be for the first time since joining Class A.

“I definitely like coming into games knowing we're the underdog,” said junior guard and co-captain Grayson Waterman. “Nobody's going to expect these Noble studs to come in and play our game. But we've been sticking with every team that we play.”

The Knights are 4-5 after a 77-57 home win over Massabesic on Tuesday night. Adam Della-Piana led the Knights with 23 points.

“We really feel good about this season,” said Della-Piana, a senior guard and co-captain. “We're working well as a team. There's a bright future for this team, and this year we're showing it. We're turning heads in this league.”

First-year coach Kenny Kimber said his team has brought a high level of intensity to the court this season.

“Everybody is more accountable for themselves,” said Kimber, who had previous stints as an assistant coach at Portsmouth and Epping. “They play as a team and they play for each other. Losing programs, they usually don't play for each other. They point fingers. That's what we've tried to emphasize this year, to be more of a team-oriented team.”

The Knights had already doubled their win total from the previous year after their third game, when a 60-55 win over Kennebunk put the Knights at 2-1. Kimber said the fast start was important to instill confidence.

“We needed to believe we can actually win a game,” Kimber said. “Once they get that confidence going, everything else falls into place.”

There have been a few blowouts the Knights have suffered so far, but their second-half schedule is mostly favorable, with winnable games against Scarborough (5-4), Biddeford (2-7), Gorham (4-5) and Marshwood (3-6) looming on the horizon.

“We really feel good about a lot of the matchups,” Della-Piana said. “Every game we have a chance in. We got a couple of tough teams out of the way in the early part of the season and now we're going into a stretch where we believe we're a playoff team.”

In addition to Della-Piana, Waterman has been a big scorer for the Knights. He scored 11 against Massabesic and 21 in a 43-40 win over Westbrook on Dec. 28. Junior guard Sean Jackson also has a nose for the basket.

“Last year, we came into games like we knew we were going to lose,” Jackson said. “This year, we know we can compete with any team in the state. A few games so far haven't gone our way but we're looking forward to the second half of the season and getting into the playoffs.”

Kimber took over for A.J. Dufort, who worked tirelessly to improve the Knights in his six years at the helm but could not get the team to the next level. This year's team believes Kimber is the man who can get it done.

“He brings in a much more intense game of basketball,” Waterman said. “He brings a whole new set of plays that fit this team. Our defense hasn't been this good in our lives. We've never been in this good shape.”

Della-Piana, a four-year veteran of the program, said this year's team takes the court each night believing it can win.

“My sophomore and junior years, I started for teams that didn't plan to win,” he said. “This year, we come into games planning to win, and it's really a fun thing.”

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The news is not good for Mike Wons, senior forward for the Dover basketball team who injured his knee during the fourth quarter of a 74-62 win over Manchester Memorial on Friday night.

Green Wave coach Mike Romps said on Wednesday via text message that he was “90 percent sure” Wons suffered a torn ACL, but that there was too much swelling to do an MRI exam.

Losing Wons would hurt the Green Wave. Wons scored 18 points in a 61-53 loss at Manchester Central on Dec. 20 and had already scored 18 when he went down against Memorial. The Green Wave are 2-3 following a 58-52 loss at Merrimack on Tuesday. Wons, obviously, did not play in that game.

“Any time an all-state player of his caliber is not on the floor it hurts you,” Romps said. “With that said we will hope for the best with his injury. Perhaps we could have him back for the tournament. Right now we need to have everyone involved in the program focus in a little more and pick up their game.”

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The St. Thomas Aquinas boys hockey team will host its fourth annual “Pink Game” on Jan. 26 at the Dover Arena. The puck drops vs. Londonderry at 4 p.m.

The event is conducted by the team, coaches and parents to raise awareness of breast cancer and all proceeds will be sent to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

The “Pink Game” tradition started in 2010 at a player's suggestion. It raised about $700 in its first year. Last year, the amount raised was $2,192.